Users of the popular Mint service for personal financial tracking have a new option for accessing the service today, as the company announces an expanded app for Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich tablets. While the Mint app has been available for months, its formatting on anything larger than a smartphone has been lacking. The updated app brings a new interface and features when used on Android 3.0 or higher. You can download the app for free in the Android Market, though you’ll need an active Mint account (also free) to use it.
If you’re unfamiliar with Mint, think of it as financial tracking with the training wheels on. Connect it to your bank account, credit cards and investments, and it gives you a quick look at your current debt/net worth, risks and spending habits. You can set up alerts for when balances are running low, or when you go over budget on regular bills, like groceries or cell phone service. Even cash transactions are covered, though you’ll have to enter those manually.
A new feature that’s particularly handy is cached storage. Say you go to that trendy new nightclub on 6th Street that coats the walls in signal-absorbing paint, and you’re suddenly unsure of whether you can cover a round for the house. Your mobile banking app is out of luck thanks to a requirement for an encrypted connection, but Mint can save your information for viewing offline, still protected by your personal password. (Ed: don’t buy a round for the house anywhere on 6th Street.) A search function helps you easily find individual purchases as well.
[via MarketWatch]
